This is our resident expert..
defender of truth
JoinedPosts by defender of truth
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Are You a 607 BCE Specialist?
by God_Delusion inhi guys & gals,.
we're currently preparing for the season finale of the show (to be recorded on sunday, may 24th at 2pm eastern time nyc / 6pm uk time / 4am sydney time.. as we're going to (finally) be covering 607 bce in detail, we're looking for a specialist (or two) that can come on the show and tell everyone about this almighty doctrine.
if you know your 587 from your 607 and why the 1914 and 1919 dates are important to jws (although most have no idea why), please send us an email to [email protected], using "i'm a 607er" in the subject line and let us know why we should pick you as a guest on the season finale.. can't wait to hear from you!.
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Jehovahs Witnesses Tax Exemption in Fishkill, more burden on taxpayers without any benefit to the community..
by defender of truth infishkill the jehovah's witnesses have obtained a partial tax exemption for the rivercrest luxury apartments that the religious group bought last year, and have now purchased an adjacent waterfront property, both in the town of fishkill.. the effect on taxpayers is a shift of the burden for the lost taxes to all other taxpaying shoulders, plus a probable increase in that shift next year.
the loss so far to the town is about $55,000, with other sums snipped from the tax bases of the beacon city school district, the chelsea fire district and dutchess county.. and, it likely means that jehovah's witnesses will come forward with plans for how they'd like to develop the land that they acquired march 13.. the poughkeepsie journal.
jehovah's witnesses eye buying fishkill site for church complexthe two properties sit next to each other in the brockway section of the town, overlooking the hudson river and west of route 9d.. rivercrest apartments is a 250-unit luxury rental complex that the town's assessor values at $31 million.
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defender of truth
(Please see question in previous post before reading this)" To be tax-exempt under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, an organization must be organized and operated exclusively for exempt purposes set forth in section 501(c)(3), and none of its earnings may inure to any private shareholder or individual."
www.irs.gov/Charities-&-Non-Profits/Charitable-Organizations/Exemption-Requirements-Section-501%28c%29%283%29-Organizations"The term charitable is used in its generally accepted legal sense and includes:
www.irs.gov/Charities-&-Non-Profits/Charitable-Organizations/Exempt-Purposes-Internal-Revenue-Code-Section-501(c)(3)
relief of the poor, the distressed, or the underprivileged; advancement of religion; advancement of education or science; erecting or maintaining public buildings, monuments, or works; lessening the burdens of government; lessening neighborhood tensions; eliminating prejudice and discrimination; defending human and civil rights secured by law; and combating community deterioration and juvenile delinquency."
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The Searcher made this point on another thread:" Giving people free literature/studies of a religion's beliefs, should not, and does not merit charitable status!
A close scrutiny by the IRS/HMRC into such money-making entities will quickly establish whose lives are being improved more substantially from the donations/business practices - the ones running the 'charity', or people who are genuinely in need of day-day necessities and care. "
Interesting point.
Note one of the violations, on the form, that the IRS would be interested in hearing about:" NATURE OF VIOLATION: Directors/ officers/persons are using income/assets or personal gain "
... I wonder if there may be evidence of this somewhere?
Anyway, I'm just going to leave you all with the form to send, if you know that the Governing Body use any funds/assets for their own personal gain, or if you have any evidence that not all the funds/assets of the organisation are used for 'advancement of religion'.
The address to send it to is on there, and the IRS will confirm that they have received your complaint by letter. The form states that you can check a box if you are concerned about your identity being disclosed. It also states that you can put 'Anonymous' instead of your name.
This is the form:
www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/f13909.pdf -
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Jehovahs Witnesses Tax Exemption in Fishkill, more burden on taxpayers without any benefit to the community..
by defender of truth infishkill the jehovah's witnesses have obtained a partial tax exemption for the rivercrest luxury apartments that the religious group bought last year, and have now purchased an adjacent waterfront property, both in the town of fishkill.. the effect on taxpayers is a shift of the burden for the lost taxes to all other taxpaying shoulders, plus a probable increase in that shift next year.
the loss so far to the town is about $55,000, with other sums snipped from the tax bases of the beacon city school district, the chelsea fire district and dutchess county.. and, it likely means that jehovah's witnesses will come forward with plans for how they'd like to develop the land that they acquired march 13.. the poughkeepsie journal.
jehovah's witnesses eye buying fishkill site for church complexthe two properties sit next to each other in the brockway section of the town, overlooking the hudson river and west of route 9d.. rivercrest apartments is a 250-unit luxury rental complex that the town's assessor values at $31 million.
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defender of truth
Can anyone please explain what all this means? (In relation to getting the IRS to hopefully examine the Watchtower organisation).."The term integrated auxiliary of a church refers to a class of organizations that are related to a church or convention or association of churches, but are not such organizations themselves. "
www.irs.gov/Charities-&-Non-Profits/Churches-&-Religious-Organizations/Integrated-Auxiliary-of-a-Church--Defined
The restrictions on church enquiries "do not apply to integrated auxiliaries of a church."
Also..
"They do not apply to related persons or organizations."
http://www.irs.gov/Charities-&-Non-Profits/Churches-&-Religious-Organizations/Restrictions-on-Church-Inquiries-and-Examinations
There is more information here:
http://blog.cricpa.com/index.php/2015/04/21/churches-are-different-to-the-irs-special-rules-limiting-irs-audit-authority/ -
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Is anyone interested in getting a full financial report on the WTBTS of Britain?
by defender of truth inthis report provides information on watch tower bible and tract society of britain including:*.what their money is spent on*.amount raised for every 1 spent on fundraising*.5 year financial information*.how your donation helps.
here you can request the free report:www.charitychoice.co.uk/charity-report/watch-tower-bible-and-tract-society-of-britain-68372.
and this is a link to purchase a full in-depth report:http://choice.charityfinancials.com/store/buyreport.aspx?cn=1077961.
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defender of truth
I cannot do this myself, or I would. Hope someone finds the info useful.. -
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Is anyone interested in getting a full financial report on the WTBTS of Britain?
by defender of truth inthis report provides information on watch tower bible and tract society of britain including:*.what their money is spent on*.amount raised for every 1 spent on fundraising*.5 year financial information*.how your donation helps.
here you can request the free report:www.charitychoice.co.uk/charity-report/watch-tower-bible-and-tract-society-of-britain-68372.
and this is a link to purchase a full in-depth report:http://choice.charityfinancials.com/store/buyreport.aspx?cn=1077961.
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defender of truth
This report provides information on Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Britain including:
*.What their money is spent on
*.Amount raised for every £1 spent on fundraising
*.5 year financial information
*.How your donation helps
Here you can request the free report:
www.charitychoice.co.uk/charity-report/watch-tower-bible-and-tract-society-of-britain-68372And this is a link to purchase a full in-depth report:
http://choice.charityfinancials.com/store/buyreport.aspx?cn=1077961The report is provided in an easily digestible format and includes*:
*. Five year financial history covering various income and expenditure streams as well as the charity’s assets and liabilities
*. Key financial ratios including surplus, margin, fundraised income ROI and fixed asset turnovers
*. Year-on-year growth trends for each of the different financial fields
* Contact details for principal executives and trustees
* Up to date information on relevant investment and grant making policies
*Our expert team of data analysts break down the financial information as far as the charity’s reporting allows, meaning we have the most in-depth coverage possible for all of the top 5,000 charities.
This is a sample of what the report will look like:
http://choice.charityfinancials.com/store/Charity-Financials-Sample-Report.pdf
Please post anything you find out, for the benefit of everyone. :) -
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Jehovahs Witnesses Tax Exemption in Fishkill, more burden on taxpayers without any benefit to the community..
by defender of truth infishkill the jehovah's witnesses have obtained a partial tax exemption for the rivercrest luxury apartments that the religious group bought last year, and have now purchased an adjacent waterfront property, both in the town of fishkill.. the effect on taxpayers is a shift of the burden for the lost taxes to all other taxpaying shoulders, plus a probable increase in that shift next year.
the loss so far to the town is about $55,000, with other sums snipped from the tax bases of the beacon city school district, the chelsea fire district and dutchess county.. and, it likely means that jehovah's witnesses will come forward with plans for how they'd like to develop the land that they acquired march 13.. the poughkeepsie journal.
jehovah's witnesses eye buying fishkill site for church complexthe two properties sit next to each other in the brockway section of the town, overlooking the hudson river and west of route 9d.. rivercrest apartments is a 250-unit luxury rental complex that the town's assessor values at $31 million.
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defender of truth
If anyone wants to try to take action regarding Watchtower's tax exempt status (why not just give it a go?), this thread has a possible way to go about it..
According to the blog, anyone can file a complaint with the IRS. American citizenship is not required!
If you are afraid of retaliation from the WTBTS or being shunned by JWs make sure to check the box marked "I am concerned that I might face retaliation or retribution if my identity is disclosed". I wonder if the other box could be checked to complain about how the Watchtower uses "undue influence" on members and promotes it being used on members and ex-members.
Now, how many JWN members would take the time to fill out form 13909 without disclosing their identify? A hand full?
www.jehovahs-witness.com/topic/235110001/how-complain-irs-about-non-profits
If you think that there is no point in even trying to do something, and the IRS will never act, here's an interesting quote:
It isn’t so far-fetched an idea, either. The Nonprofit Risk Management Center reports that more than 100 501(c)(3) organizations are stripped of their tax-exempt status each year. The reasons can vary, covering the violation of laws that govern private benefits, lobbying, political campaign activity, unrelated business income, the obligation to report annually and maintaining operation in accord with stated exempt purpose.
www.thewrap.com/hbos-going-clear-reignites-scrutiny-of-scientologys-tax-exempt-status/
At the very least filing a few complaints couldn't do any harm, could it?
I'll leave it with you good people. Thanks for reading ;)
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Jehovahs Witnesses Tax Exemption in Fishkill, more burden on taxpayers without any benefit to the community..
by defender of truth infishkill the jehovah's witnesses have obtained a partial tax exemption for the rivercrest luxury apartments that the religious group bought last year, and have now purchased an adjacent waterfront property, both in the town of fishkill.. the effect on taxpayers is a shift of the burden for the lost taxes to all other taxpaying shoulders, plus a probable increase in that shift next year.
the loss so far to the town is about $55,000, with other sums snipped from the tax bases of the beacon city school district, the chelsea fire district and dutchess county.. and, it likely means that jehovah's witnesses will come forward with plans for how they'd like to develop the land that they acquired march 13.. the poughkeepsie journal.
jehovah's witnesses eye buying fishkill site for church complexthe two properties sit next to each other in the brockway section of the town, overlooking the hudson river and west of route 9d.. rivercrest apartments is a 250-unit luxury rental complex that the town's assessor values at $31 million.
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defender of truth
FISHKILL – The Jehovah's Witnesses have obtained a partial tax exemption for the Rivercrest luxury apartments that the religious group bought last year, and have now purchased an adjacent waterfront property, both in the Town of Fishkill.
The effect on taxpayers is a shift of the burden for the lost taxes to all other taxpaying shoulders, plus a probable increase in that shift next year. The loss so far to the town is about $55,000, with other sums snipped from the tax bases of the Beacon City School District, the Chelsea Fire District and Dutchess County.
THE POUGHKEEPSIE JOURNAL
Jehovah's Witnesses eye buying Fishkill site for church complex
The two properties sit next to each other in the Brockway section of the town, overlooking the Hudson River and west of Route 9D.Rivercrest apartments is a 250-unit luxury rental complex that the town's assessor values at $31 million. The two waterfront parcels are 57.4 acres of land and empty industrial buildings that are valued at $1 million each that were bought from Chelsea Waterfront Development LLC.
Town Supervisor Bob LaColla said the Witnesses have a vision for the old industrial land. "They called to say they're still planning on coming in with a plan for the old Circle M site." That's the long-gone company that operated a wood-treatment plant there.
No comment was forthcoming from the Witnesses headquarters. The group's property dealings are under the name of Watchtower Bible & Tract Society of New York, Inc. LaColla said the group's representatives have spoken of building an assembly hall, a video production studio and three office buildings there.
Calculations based on the deed indicate a likely sale price of $6 million.
Chelsea Waterfront Development was set up by AVR Realty, headed by Allan V. Rose, who signed the sale deed for Chelsea Waterfront. AVR bought extensive properties in the area and has been building it up or selling portions.In December, Watchtower bought the 250-unit Rivercrest apartments. Tenants told the Poughkeepsie Journal that the new owner would not renew rental leases, leading to a surge of relocations. LaColla said the Witnesses then began moving their own members into units that were vacated.
By March 1, the date by which an owner must apply for exemptions, the society claimed a religious exemption for 44 percent of the property. LaColla explained that this was the proportion of units that had been reoccupied by members of Jehovah's Witnesses.
"They moved members into the units," he said. "Their model is along the lines of a monastery. They take a vow of poverty and are in full service to the church."
The complex, however, is hardly monastic. It has been one of the more deluxe rentals in southern Dutchess and has rented at some of the highest rates. Despite the assessment, the Watchtower apparently paid $57 million for it, based on calculations from the transfer tax on the deed.The remainder of Rivercrest units are or were still under lease to non-members who had made their homes there when it was a standard, market-rate apartment complex.
LaColla said the town's assessor, Christian Harkins, has no choice in the matter, given the state laws that allow tax exemption for properties that are used for religious purposes and are owned by a qualified religious organization."He complies with state regulations on that," he said. The town, he said, is not quite standing still and officials are concerned. "We are promoting a conversation with our state representatives to look at state policy regarding tax-exempt properties, the exemption policy itself," LaColla said.
The exact amount of impact exemptions would have on taxes can't yet be calculated, LaColla said. A clearer picture should emerge after June 1. An official of the Beacon schools has previously said that a full exemption on the apartments could remove $800,000 in revenue from that source. But when that happens, the loss is made up by shifting it to all other taxpayers.
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£150,000,000 Jehovahs Witnesses HQ approved
by defender of truth inthe jehovahs witnesses have gained planning to build a vast uk headquarters complex in chelmsford.the international bible students association, which manages the christian groups literature, gained planning to redevelop a derelict farm near galleywood with a 1.2m sq ft scheme.the 150m complex will provide homes for 1,200 people spread across 16 five-storey blocks, a large printing plant, offices, auditorium, health and fitness centre, water treatment plant and on-site parking for 1,040 vehicles.. the ibsa is now set to begin groundwork at the 82-acre temple farm site and start construction by 2016.. .
www.constructionenquirer.com/2015/04/29/150m-jehovahs-witnesses-hq-approved-for-chelmsford/.
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defender of truth
www.building.co.uk/crofton-wins-key-role-on-jehovahs-witnesses-campus/5075275.article
Consulting engineer Crofton has won a key role on the development of a new headquarters and campus for the Jehovah’s Witnesses.
Crofton has been picked to provide all the mechanical, electrical and public health works on the 120,000 m2 development planned for a site near Chelmsford in Essex.The bulk of the design and construction work is being undertaken by Jehovah’s Witnesses volunteers. Work will start on-site this year and is set to be completed in 2019.
The scheme includes 550 residential units, 30,000m2 of office space, a printing press, maintenance workshops, a fitness centre, an energy centre to support the site’s infrastructure, and gardens and walkways.
Crofton managing director Steven Hale said: “Normally the MEP engineer would produce the design drawings for building services, and the contractor would use these to produce installation drawings. However, there isn’t a contractor for many of the packages on this project because volunteers are undertaking the majority of the MEP installation.
“Therefore Crofton’s appointment includes the responsibility of producing installation drawings. This is testament to our investment in BIM over the last three years, which has enabled us to develop the skills and demonstrate that we have the skills necessary to fulfil this role.
“Everybody at Crofton is proud to be working on this major project and looks forward to being involved with it over the coming years.”
Temple Farm will house Jehovah’s Witnesses’ publications such as The Watchtower. -
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Quote or Misquote?.. Here are the full quotes from the June 1st 2015 Watchtower- How Science Affects Your Life
by defender of truth inquote from 1 june 2015 watchtower:.
quote from 1 june 2015 watchtower:.
quote from 1 june 2015 watchtower:.
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defender of truth
This is not my own work, I deserve no credit whatsoever. It was written by a S Rosenthal at avoidjw.org .
While we're on the subject though, I just found this thread from way back.
There's an excellent post with various misquotes and people speaking out about it afterwards.
www.jehovahs-witness.com/topic/54341/misquotes-misquoted-misquoting?page=1&size=20
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Quote or Misquote?.. Here are the full quotes from the June 1st 2015 Watchtower- How Science Affects Your Life
by defender of truth inquote from 1 june 2015 watchtower:.
quote from 1 june 2015 watchtower:.
quote from 1 june 2015 watchtower:.
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defender of truth
http://avoidjw.org/2015/04/quote-or-misquote/
Quote or Misquote?
- By S Rosenthal
- April 19, 2015
- 0 Comments
The Watchtower is notorious for misquoting scientists to promote their Creationist views. In their June 1st 2015 Watchtower magazine, they extensively quote the views of scientists. Some they name; some they do not. Below are a selection of those quotes or misquotes from the Watchtower article, How Science Affects Your Life, followed by the full quote as found in literature, news articles and/or internet sources.
Unfortunately, many Jehovah’s Witnesses will read the quotes in their magazine without examining carefully if theses things are completely true. Compare Acts 17:10,11. However, you have the opportunity to find out if what the Watchtower says is truth or misleading statements.
QUOTE FROM 1 JUNE 2015 WATCHTOWER:
“a scientific argument against the existence of God.”
– Amir D Aczel
FULL QUOTE:
“The same year that Harris published Letter to a Christian Nation, Richard Dawkins, who for decades had been advocating atheism in public lectures and articles, released a book that received even wider circulation and global acclaim, titled The God Delusion (2006). In this work, Dawkins uses his prominence in the field of biology to launch a scientific argument against the existence of God. But in addition to using ideas from science—mainly evolutionary biology, but also a smattering of notions plucked from physics and cosmology—Dawkins embarks on a personal crusade against Scripture, especially the Old Testament.”
– Amir D Aczel, Why Science Does Not Disprove God
QUOTE FROM 1 JUNE 2015 WATCHTOWER:
“the absence of evidence for any God who plays an important role in the universe proves beyond a reasonable doubt that such a god does not exist.”
– A world famous physicist
FULL QUOTE:
“I believe I was the first to argue, in my 2007 book God—The Failed Hypothesis, that the absence of evidence for any God who plays an important role in the universe proves beyond a reasonable doubt that such a god does not exist.
“It is inarguable that science has not yet found evidence for a god or the supernatural. If it had, it would be in the textbooks. Still, you will often hear: “Absence of evidence is not evidence of absence.” Not always. When the evidence that is absent is evidence that should be there, then that can be taken as evidence of absence.
“Consider the hypothesis that elephants roam Yellowstone Park. If that were the case, then a tourist or ranger should have been spotted one by now. Or, other evidence such as droppings and crushed bushes would certainly be found. Since none of this has occurred, we can conclude beyond a reasonable doubt that elephants do not roam Yellowstone Park.
“Incidentally, note that the often-heard statement that you cannot prove a negative is simply wrong, including the negative that there is no God.
“And so it is with the hypothesis of the existence of the God worshipped by Jews, Christians, and Muslims and others among the major religions of the world. Religious apologists and even some atheistic scientists have contended that God is a “spirit” and so science can say nothing about him. However, this particular hypothesized God plays such an active part in the universe that evidence of his actions should be observable.
“Earlier I discussed several examples of phenomena that should be seen if such a God exists. The fact that they are not is proof beyond a reasonable doubt that this God does not exist. Note that this proof does not apply to all conceivable gods, such as the impersonal deist god who creates the universe but does not intervene any further. While such a god is not ruled out, we have no reason to pray to it or worship it, so it might as well not exist.
“In addition, I have provided unique counter examples to the questions often raised by believers that claim to show the need for some kind of god.”
– Victor J Stenger, Emeritus Professor of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Hawaii and Adjunct Professor of Philosophy at the University of Colorado
QUOTE FROM 1 JUNE 2015 WATCHTOWER:
“We know that we will never get to the bottom of things”
– Steven Weinberg, physicist and Nobel laureate
FULL QUOTE:
“The important thing is that we have not observed anything that seems to require supernatural explanation.
“I can image how disturbed they will feel in the future, when at last scientists learn how to understand human behaviour in terms of the chemistry and physics of the brain and nothing is left that needs to be explained by our having an immaterial soul.
“We know that we will never get to the bottom of things, because whatever theory unites all observed particulars and forces, we will never know why it is that the theory describes the real world and not some other theory.
“Worse, the worldview of science is rather chilling. Not only do we not find any point to life laid out for us in nature, no objective basis for our moral principles, no correspondence between what we think is the moral law and the laws of nature, of the sort imagined by philosophers from Anaximander and Plato to Emerson.”
– Steven Weinberg, quoted in James W Sire’s book Echoes of a Voice: We are not alone
QUOTE FROM 1 JUNE 2015 WATCHTOWER:
“There may be things that humans will never understand.”
– Professor Martin Rees, Astronomer Royal of Great Britain
FULL QUOTE:
“Here, we astronomers can offer a special perspective. Our biosphere, as everyone bar the creationists accepts, is the outcome of several billion years of Darwinian evolution. But astronomers are mindful that the future is potentially far longer than the past. Our Sun formed 4.5 billion years ago, but its fuel won’t run out for another six billion years. And the expanding universe will continue – perhaps for ever. Future evolution, here on Earth or far beyond, could be as prolonged as the Darwinian process that has led to us – and even more wonderful.
“Whether the really long-range future lies with organic post-humans or with intelligent machines is a matter for debate. But we would be anthropocentric to believe that all of science is within humanity’s grasp, and that no enigmas will remain to challenge our descendents. There may be things that humans will never understand – but that doesn’t mean that they will never be understood.”
– Lord Rees, Astronomer Royal
QUOTE FROM 1 JUNE 2015 WATCHTOWER:
“Our knowledge is vastly outstripped by our ignorance. For me, a life in science prompts awe and exploration over dogmatism”
– A popular science writer
FULL QUOTE:
“So while there are plenty of good books by scientist-atheists, they sometimes under-emphasise the main lesson from science: that our knowledge is vastly outstripped by our ignorance. For me, a life in science prompts awe and exploration over dogmatism.
“Given these considerations, I do not call myself an atheist. I don’t feel that I have enough data to firmly rule out other interesting possibilities. On the other hand, I do not subscribe to any religion. Traditional religious stories can be beautiful and often crystallise hard-won wisdom – but it is hardly a challenge to poke holes in them. Religious structures are built by humans and brim with all manner of strange human claims – they often reflect cults of personality, xenophobia or mental illness. The holy books of these religions were written millennia ago by people who never had the opportunity to know about DNA, other galaxies, information theory, electricity, the big bang, the big crunch, or even other cultures, literatures or landscapes.”
– David Eagleman, Why I Am a ‘Possibilian’
QUOTE FROM 1 JUNE 2015 WATCHTOWER:
“After almost 4,000 years of astronomy, the universe is no less strange than it must have seemed to the Babylonians”
– Encyclopaedia Britannica
FULL QUOTE:
“The objects of all astronomical inquiry, from the time of the ancient Greeks and Babylonians to the 20th century, thus represent only the tip of the iceberg. After almost 4,000 years of astronomy, the universe is no less strange than it must have seemed to the Babylonians.”
– James Evans, Director of Program for Science, Technology, and Society, University of Puget Sound, Tacoma, Washington, Encyclopaedia Britannica